Improvement in molds for



NlTE STATES Prion PATENT R. W. DAVIS AND D. DAVIS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNORS TO THEM- SELVES, DANIEL APPLETON & 00., JOHN PERKINS, AND NEHEMIAH P.

STANTON, ALL OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN MOLDS FOR CASTING PRINTING-TYPE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 40,076. dated September 22, 1863.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, It. W. DAVIS and D. DAVIS, both of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Molds for Casting Printers-Type; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- 7 Figure 1 is a top view of a mold-box and mold constructed according to our invention, representing it in an open condition. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same. Figs. 3 and 4. are longitudinal sections of the bottom and side portions of the molds, showing'them in different conditions. Fig 5 is a transverse section of the same. Fig. 6 is a top view of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to molds for casting printers type, either singly or several at a time, from anymaterial, more especially type made of amineral composition, which is in a plastic but not a fluid state at the time of molding.

It consists first, in a certain construction of the molds, whereby facility is afforded for detachin g the type from them; secondly, in certain means of insuring the registering of the molds with the matrices; and, thirdly, in a certain mode of applying a receiver for the material of which the type are to be made, a plunger for pressing the material into the molds, and a cut-off for separating the molds from the receiver, in combination with each other and with the mold-box, whereby great facility is afforded for casting the types and for removing them from the molds after castmg.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use our invention, we will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

Ais the mold-box of cast-iron or other metal.

B is the cover of the said box, of similar material and hinged to the back of the box, as

shown at a in Fig. 2, and furnished with suitable means of securin g it in a closed condition. Gis the matrix-block, to which are attached a number of matrices, c c, to correspond with the number of molds b b, the said block being fitted to the back part of the interior of the box A, and being kept in place by small fixed pins d d, secured in the sides of the box. The

several matrices are all made of or formed within a single stripf of copper either by the electrotype process or by any other means such as are employed for the manufacture of single matrices, and the said stripf is secured to the block 0 by riveting it thereto and placing another strip of metal, e, in front of the upper part of the matrix strip f, and riveting through the block and the two strips f and e.

The bottoms g g and sides h h of the molds I) b are composed of a series of parallel strips of metal arranged side by side, as shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 6, the strips h h forming the sides alternating with those 9 g forming the bottoms, and being as much deeper than 9 g as the required depth of the molds, as illustrated in Fig. 8. The said strips g g and h h are fitted snugly into a cavity, Z on n, Fig. 2, provided for th eir reception in a slide, D, which is fitted accurately to the box A in such manner thatitis capable of slidin g back and forth therein toward and from the matrices, and the said block is connected with a screw, E, screwing through the front of the box for the purpose of producing the above described movement. The several strips 9 g h h are all secured together to enable all to be removed from the slide D, or reinserted therein simultaneously by means of a narrow piece of steel plate, F, of a spring temper, or of any other sufficiently elastic metal, which is fitted loosely into a groove, 1' i, of dovetail or other form, which is cut across the bottoms of the whole series of strips, and the ends of this piece F and the grooves in the end strips, h h, are either widened, substantially as is indicated in dotted outline at p p in Fig. 6, or otherwise made of such form as will enable the several strips 9 g and it h to move apart a short distance, but still prevent the strips from dropping off the said piece when taken out of the slide D. From one-sixteenth to one-eighth of an inch will be sutficient for the whole movement allowed upon the said piece unless the moldbox contains a very large number of molds, or the molds are for type of very great width.

This combination of loose strips g g and h h is what enables the type to be readily detached from the molds, as will be hereinafter described. 0n the front end of each or any number of the strips there is provided atenon like projection, j, of any suitable form, to enter a corresponding recess or mortise provided in the lower part of the f'acaof the matrix-piece f below the matrices for the purpose of making the several molds register accurately with their respective matrices.

The co er B of the mold-box has the receiver G for the plastic material of which the type are to be made so formed and arranged within it, or attached permanently to it, that when the said cover is shut down the said receiver will cover the whole of the molds, or nearly the whole length of each, and the said receiver is fitted with a piston or plunger, G, to be operated by any suitable means for pressing the plastic material into the molds, and the bottom of the cover is fitted with a thin sharp edged slide, H, made of steel plate or other suitable material, which works in suitable guides, S S, attached to the cover, and serves as a cut-off to cut off the material in the molds from that in the receiver G, the said slide also serving as the principal part top of the several molds when pushed in under the receiver G, the other part of the top being formed by the under face of the strip 6, as shown in Fig. 2. The front ends of the several molds, where the bases of the types are formed, is composed of the front 12. of the cavity l m n in the slide D.

The cut-oft H is represented as furnished with a simple handle, I, to be operated by pulling and pushing it with the hand; but it may have applied to it a lever or other mechanical means of operating it, and a fixed stop, q, is attached to the cover B to prevent it from being drawn out farther than is necessary. The said cut-oft, when pushed in to cut oh the material in the receiver from the molds, stops against a steel plate, T, which forms a lining to the back of the receiver, and which projects downward below the back part of the cover B and comes over the strip 0 down onto the top of the molds, when the cover B is closed, as shown in Fig. 2.

The operation of casting type in these molds is as follows: The cover of the boX is first opened and the slide D drawn forward by the screw E far enough away from the matrices to allow the series of strips 9 g and h h, and their connecting-piece I to be dropped into its cavity l m n, and when the said strips and connecting-piece have been put into the said cavity the slide is moved forward to bring the said strips close up to the matrices. The

cover B is then closed and secured, and the plunger G is forced down upon the plastic material in the receiver G by suitable mechanical means, and thereby caused to press the said material into the molds and matrices,

and when this has been done the cut-off H is slid forward to cut off the material in the molds from that in the receiver G and close the tops of the molds. The castingis now completed, and the cover B is to be opened,

the slide 1) drawn back to removethe type from the matrices, and the portions 9 g h h of the molds containing the type are all lifted together from the cavity 1 m n in the slide D,

the whole connected by the elastic connecting-piece F. The type are then liberated by 1 the taking hold of the ends of the connected, series of strips, one in each hand, and bend-g ing the connecting-piece F in the mannerl' shown in Fig. 4, by which means the spaces 1) b are caused to open the several strips g g h h, moving slightly along the said piece F to prevent such opening action. All that is now necessary to discharge the type is to turn over the connected series of strips and let them drop therefrom. The type thus produced are exactly of the proper length and without either spines, fins, or feathers, and hence there is no finishing required, such as is necessary in the manufacture of printers type by any process now known.

- What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The construction of the molds in part of a series of strips, 9 g h h, fitted loosely to and combined by a flexible and elastic connecting-piece, F, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

2. The combination of the tenons or projectionsjj on each or any number of the strips 9 g and corresponding mortises or recesses in the matrix-block or matrix-strip, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

3. The mo'd-slide 1), receiver Gr, plunger G, and cut'oft' H, the whole applied in combination with each other and with the box A and cover B, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

- R. W. DAVIS. l). DAVIS.

Witnesses:

'l1-1os. S. J. DOUGLAS, GEO. W. REED. 

